Home > O'Reilly's Officially In Denial About Fox News' "Crusade" Against Obama

O'Reilly's Officially In Denial About Fox News' "Crusade" Against Obama

Following his February 6 interview with President Obama, Bill O'Reilly has repeatedly insisted that Fox News is "not in business to demean the President," not "invested in hurting him" and "not on a crusade to harm the administration." But Fox News has repeatedly attacked Obama's religious faith and family, promoted questions about his birthplace, called him anti-American, accused him of racism, and used the tiniest of pretenses to vilify him.

Bill O'Reilly Claims Fox Is Not "Invested" In Demeaning Obama

O'Reilly: Fox News Is "Not On A Crusade To Harm The Administration." On the February 7 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly discussed his interview with Obama and said:

O'REILLY: I think Fox News showed the world that we are not in business to demean the president. We want answers, but are not on a crusade to harm the administration. Since the liberal media lies about FNC all the time, that demonstration was important. Folks who don't ordinarily watch us now have some eyewitness data to go on. [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 2/7/11[1]]

O'Reilly: Fox News Is "Not Out To Hurt" Obama. From the February 7 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:

MARTHA MacCALLUM (co-host): At the very beginning of the interview, I appreciated that you took the moment to thank him and to thank the administration for some help that they gave us at Fox News in helping two of our colleagues, Greg Palkot and Olaf Wiig. You know, and the whole thing kind of reminded me too of that moment way back, you know, when they talked about the fact that Fox News wasn't a news organization. You know, and clearly we were, you know, treated in a very respectful way in this whole thing. I just want to get your thoughts on all that.

O'REILLY: Well, look. You have to understand that interview that we did yesterday is the most widely viewed interview, I think, of all time because of the Internet. You know, the moment it was done it was all over the world, everybody's looking at it and I wanted people who don't know Fox News and all they hear about is the liberal media defining us to know that we don't have any personal animus against the president of the United States. And he did, and Robert Gibbs and the State Department did really, really good work in helping Palkot and Wiig. That's the truth, so why not say that? And why not say that to him?

And I wanted him to get the message that, look, we're not out to hurt you, we, the network. There might be guys like Hannity and Beck who really feel like you're not a good president and your policies are destructive, but we have other people on this staff who feel the opposite. So yes, Fox News is skeptical of President Obama more so than the liberal networks, of course. But we're not personally invested in hurting him. [Fox News' America's Newsroom, 2/7/11[2]]

Fox News Chief: Fighting Obama Is Like "The Alamo"

Before Glenn Beck started his new show on Fox News in January, he sat down with Roger Ailes, the network's chief executive, to make sure they were on the same page.

"I wanted to meet with Roger and tell him, 'You may not want to put me on the air. I believe we are in dire trouble, and I will never shut up,' " said the conservative radio host.

But before Beck could say anything, Ailes shared a message of his own: The country faced tough times, he said, and Fox News was one of the only news outlets willing to challenge the new administration.

"I see this as the Alamo," Ailes said, according to Beck. "If I just had somebody who was willing to sit on the other side of the camera until the last shot is fired, we'd be fine."

That couldn't have suited Beck more. In making the jump to the top-rated cable news channel from HLN, where he had a show for two years, he hoped to alert more people to one of his consuming fears: that the government's handling of the economic crisis is ushering in an era of socialism. [Los Angeles Times, 3/6/09[10]]

Ailes: Obama "Has A Different Belief System Than Most Americans." From Howard Kurtz' November 17, 2010, Daily Beast article:

"The president has not been very successful," the Fox News chairman says in a lengthy interview. "He just got kicked from Mumbai to South Korea, and he came home and attacked Republicans for it. He had to be told by the French and the Germans that his socialism was too far left for them to deal with."

The 70-year-old Ailes, dressed in a lavender shirt and tie, goes on in this vein, saying the network isn't singling out Obama for criticism but that its style "tends to be more direct" in challenging presidents. Then he offers this observation about Obama:

"He just has a different belief system than most Americans."

That seems a rather loaded phrase -- different belief system -- even if you strongly disagree with most of Obama's policies. It fits the view of those who are trying to paint the president as being outside the mainstream. But from the big second-floor office at Fox's Midtown Manhattan headquarters, it's the rest of the media that are using a distorted lens. [Daily Beast, 11/17/10[11]]

Fox Washington Editor Tried To Tie Obama To Marxism During Final Days Of Presidential Campaign. In an October 27, 2008, email to his colleagues, Bill Sammon, now Fox News' Washington managing editor, used his position to engage in a campaign to link then-Sen. Barack Obama to "Marxists" and "socialism," internal Fox documents and a review of his televised appearances show. [Media Matters, 2/1/11[12]]

Fox Has Portrayed Obama As Un-American And Anti-American

O'Reilly: "I Don't Know What America He Loves." During the November 8, 2010, edition of his Fox News show, O'Reilly stated: "I'm starting to get even more worried - that's the word, worried -- for the country because I don't know who Barack Obama is." After Juan Williams said, "I don't think there's any question that he loves America," O'Reilly said: "But I don't know what America he loves, whether it's his vision of America he loves or the tradition that we have. I just don't know." [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 11/8/10[13]]

Beck: "A Lot Of People Would Speculate" That Obama Has "Contempt For The History Of America Or America Or Western Civilization." From the May 21, 2010, edition of Fox News's Glenn Beck:

BECK: Would you say -- because I never got the impression that FDR had contempt for America, but I think Woodrow Wilson did. And a lot of people would speculate that maybe Barack Obama has a little contempt for the history of America or America or Western civilization. Do you see a pattern or a similarity between the two of them in that?

FOLSOM: I think in that instance you're right. Franklin Roosevelt, his ancestry went way back and he did in his own way had a love for America that Wilson and Obama simply do not quite share. At least they don't share any kind of respect, deep respect for the Constitution. Wilson thought it was out-moded and so does Barack Obama. [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 5/21/10[14]]

Fox Contributor Dick Morris: "What He Likes About This Country Is They Elected Him. That's About It." From the April 23, 2009, edition of Fox News' Hannity:

HANNITY: You know, I've raised this question and the left goes nuts. But you know, as he goes on his apology tour, and he never talks about the virtues and the sacrifice for the cause of liberty and freedom that America has paid, Dick, I wonder, why does he never talk about what he likes about America?

Doesn't seem to like our economic system, our superpower status. He apologizes for our history everywhere he goes. What does he like about this country? Or does he agree with Michelle that, you know, America is a mean country or a downright mean country?

MORRIS: What he likes about this country is they elected him. That's about it. [Fox News' Hannity, 4/23/09[15]]

Fox Contributor Tammy Bruce: Obama Has "Some Malevolence Towards This Country Which Is Unabated." From the September 17, 2009, edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

BRUCE: If this man, if we captured Osama bin Laden and Zawahiri and the one-eyed Sheikh, the three stooges over there in Pakistan somewhere - If Barack Obama captured those guys or killed them, I would be looking at this man slightly differently. But ultimately it comes down to his inability to govern and the fact that he seems to have, it seems to me, some malevolence towards this country which is unabated." [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 9/17/09[16]]

Stuart Varney Accuses Obama Of Creating An "Un-American, Almost Anti-American Mentality." From the March 29, 2010, edition of Fox News' Hannity:

JEDEDIAH BILA: We have a president right now that -- we have to understand that what we're getting is a big government ideology. What we're getting is a president who doesn't care about private industries. What he cares about is government tightening its grip over people's individual liberty at whatever cost that that may be.

He wants to transform this country. He wants to change it into an America that is different from the America of our founding fathers.

VARNEY: He's creating an un-American, almost anti-American mentality. A mentality of something for nothing. You have a right to a house. A right to a job. A right to medicine. A right to health care.

You do not. This society doesn't confer those rights upon you. You have a right to compete for housing, for a job, for health care, fair enough. But it's that entitlement mentality. It's just like Europe. [Fox News' Hannity, 3/29/10[17]]

Fox Host Oliver North: Obama Has A "Core Philosophy Of Being Anti-American." From the April 15, 2010, edition of Fox News' Hannity:

HANNITY: All right. Three quarters of the United States senators signed letters rebuking the president and his treatment of Benjamin Netanyahu and our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel. What is happening there? Are we emboldening the enemies of the U.S. and Israel? I mean, these are -- this is a harsh indictment. Do you think Barack Obama is emboldening America's enemies? Do you think he's showing weakness?

NORTH: Certainly. And he's done that consistently. I mean, one of the very few things that not has changed in this administration is this president's willing to be obsequious to our adversaries, to denigrate our allies, and essentially, to walk away from the only real democracy in that part of the world. And, you know, no one can say it's because he's big on oil, because he's not in the oil business. So, what is it? It's his core philosophy of being anti-American. [Fox News' Hannity, 4/15/10[18]]

O'Reilly: "Is President Obama Selling Out America?" From the April 2, 2009, edition of The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: Is President Obama selling out America? That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."

[...]

O'REILLY: Some conservative pundits actually believe President Obama is a star chamber guy, a man who secretly wants to turn America into a progressive country modeled on western Europe. Also, they think he wants to lessen the power of America and sign up for a one world combine of governance. In the past, that kind of thinking was labeled loony, but that's changing.

[...]

O'REILLY: Key question -- where does Barack Obama stand? Are the right wing pundits correct? Is he down with the global justice jihad? There's no hard evidence to suggest that he is, but he has not repudiated the false vision either. Until President Obama does, speculation will rage. And that is the Memo. [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 4/2/09, accessed via Nexis]

Bolton: "Fundamental Philosophy At Work In His Brain" Is "Post-American." From a discussion of Obama's Nobel prize acceptance speech on the December 11, 2009, edition of The O'Reilly Factor:

INGRAHAM: One thing he said during the speech is America cannot act alone.

BOLTON: You took the quote I had underlined right here.

INGRAHAM: Oh, mind meld here.

BOLTON: Let me just say --

INGRAHAM: That jumped out at me when he said that.

BOLTON: Yeah, he didn't say it's imprudent for America to act alone, or America should have allies.

INGRAHAM: Right, which is fine.

BOLTON: he said we cannot act alone. That's fundamentally wrong.

But it reflects, I think, what's basically his mindset, which is he is post American. He's against nuclear proliferation. He's against belligerent war. He just wants to resolve it through the framework of the United Nations. And that's what the real problem is. That's why North Korea and Iran continue to pursue their nuclear programs. That's why we have the risk of continuing global terrorism.

Because the Obama approach isn't going to work. And because he says a nice thing about America every once in a while, doesn't change the fundamental philosophy at work in his brain. [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 12/11/09[19]]

Crowley: Obama "Is Very Reluctant To Stand Up For The Values On Which America Is Based." From the November 5, 2009, edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: Now you have a beef with Obama about the anniversary on Monday of the fall of the Berlin Wall. What's the beef?

CROWLEY: Yes. This president is very reluctant to stand up for the values on which America is based and the values on which we stand. I'm talking in particular about standing up for freedom in the face of tyranny.

On Monday, the Germans invited President Obama to come and help mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, one of the greatest human triumphs of freedom over tyranny. This man says, "I'm too busy." Well, he's got plenty of time to play golf and shoot hoops and fly to Copenhagen to try to get the Olympics. He doesn't have enough time to go and mark that triumph?

O'REILLY: Well, maybe the Germans should have said, "Well, we're reconsidering the Olympics. Will you come?" [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 11/5/09[20]]

Bolton: Obama Is "Above All That Patriotism Stuff." From the September 21, 2009, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

BOLTON: I think this will be a speech that will demonstrate again why Obama is what I've called a post-American president. He is really above all that patriotism stuff. You'll recall Evan Thomas, the Newsweek editor said of his Normandy speech, he's above all the countries sort of like God. And I think the image the White House wants is the president speaking the General Assembly, chairing the Security Council really not just the American president, but as he said himself, a citizen of the world. [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 9/21/09[21]]

BECK: You tell me, and I am a guy who on Election Day said, "Look, he is my president now. I don't agree with him. I don't agree with his policies, but he's president, et cetera, et cetera."

Rush said on the radio that he didn't want his policies to succeed. He didn't want to able him -- have his agenda succeed. He didn't want these things because he felt that they were bad for the country.

O'Reilly Guest Michael Scheuer: "When It Comes To Defending America, He's Generally Pretty Quiet." During the December 1, 2010, edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly asked frequent Fox guest Michael Scheuer, "Were you surprised the president hasn't said anything about Wikileaks?" Scheuer replied: "No, I think the president has a pretty -- established a pretty good record of not talking about things that would defend America. He and Holder have been very good at criticizing Americans about how we've lost our moral compass. He always has time to talk about has-been Burmese journalists and Chinese writers you never hear of, but when it comes to defending America, Bill, he's generally pretty quiet." [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 12/1/10[23]]

DOOCY: Let's take a look at one of the quotes that the Washington Times, rather Washington Post, has culled from it. They say -- this is Obama speaking directly to Woodward -- "We can absorb a terrorist attack. We'll do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever we absorbed it and we are stronger." Ambassador Bolton, we can absorb it?

BOLTON: Well, I think that may be the most outrageous thing that's been reported about this book. How can an American president say that as if he's a detached observer and doesn't care about Americans dying? I think people have been worried about his qualifications to be Commander in Chief for a long time and that ought to prove it. [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 9/22/10[24]]

Fox Analyst Ralph Peters: "You've Got A President Who Clearly Has A Massive Third World Chip On His Shoulder." From the June 8, 2009, edition of Fox & Friends:

PETERS: I was deeply troubled -- and remain deeply troubled -- by the fact that his first stop is Saudi Arabia, the most -- one of the world's most oppressive regimes, the source of terror, still a funder of terror. He didn't take Michelle because he didn't want pictures of her in a hijab or a headdress. It's very calculated.

But here's the deal, guys: The Europeans -- you know, he went to Europe last week -- and the Europeans wanted Obama so badly, and we all heard about how bad Bush was for our relationship with Europe. Now you've got a president who clearly has a massive Third World chip on his shoulder, and he has worsened our relations with Europe.

I mean, if you look at the photos last week -- the film clips of he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel walking together, they look like a divorcing couple that ended up in the same elevator on the way to the lawyer's office. He stiff-armed Sarkozy, who has been the most pro-American French president in my lifetime. Icy relations with Gordon Brown. The only European president he has reached out to in a positive sense is Vladimir Putin. [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 6/8/09[25]]

HANNITY: Let me get right to it, here. Just breaking moments ago -- we have a picture. And here it is, Barack Obama shaking hands with Hugo Chavez. And we remember, what, two years ago, you know, this is the same guy going to the United Nations calling the United States evil, how President Bush had spoken the day before and the stench and the sulphur smell still stood there, and I'm thinking, you know, I'm looking at Barack Obama, and there's a lot he obviously doesn't like about this country, he doesn't seem to like our economic system, our superpower status, doesn't seem to like our history, doesn't seem to like our underlying law.

What is -- is there anything that he likes about this country that he's going to say and not meet with America's enemies and apologize for this country every day? [Fox News' Hannity, 4/17/09[26]]

Fox Has Questioned Obama's Religious Faith

Fox & Friends Pushed False Smear That Obama Attended A "Madrassa." On the January 19, 2007, editions of Fox & Friends First and Fox & Friends, Kilmeade, along with Doocy and Carlson, spent several segments advancing a false report that then-Sen. Barack Obama was raised a Muslim and attended a madrassa, or Islamic school, as a child in Indonesia. At one point, Doocy asked: "When people find out this stuff, they're going to go, 'Why didn't anybody ever mention that that man right there was raised as -- spent the first decade of his life raised by his Muslim father as a Muslim and was educated in a madrassa?' " Kilmeade responded, "Yeah, is that a problem?" He added: "Evidently, when he was a little kid, he went over to Indonesia and went to a madrassa. He -- in his two best-selling books, he doesn't really mention this in detail." [Fox News' Fox & Friends First and Fox & Friends, 1/19/07[27]]

Fox & Friends Had To "Clarify" Their Remarks. On the January 22, 2007, edition of Fox & Friends First, Doocy said he had to "clarify" the show's reporting on the fabricated madrassa story,stating that "Mr. Obama's people called and they said that that is absolutely false. They said the idea that Barack Obama went to a radical Muslim school is completely ridiculous." [Fox News' Fox & Friends First, 1/22/07[28]]

Hume Claimed Jerusalem Post Story Quoted Obama's Half-Brother About "Muslim Background." On the June 16, 2008, edition of Special Report, then-host Brit Hume stated that Malik Obama, Sen. Barack Obama's half-brother, "tells The Jerusalem Post that 'if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background.' " [Fox News' Special Report, 6/16/08[29]]

Hume Later Issued An On-Air Correction For The False Claim That Malik Obama Had Said Barack Obama Has Such A Background. From the June 24, 2008, edition of Fox News' Special Report:

HUME: And finally, last week, we quoted The Jerusalem Post in the story about Barack Obama's half brother Malik Obama. The Post reported that in an interview with Israeli Army Radio, Malik Obama said his brother would be a good president despite his Muslim background. It now turns out that the Post did not quite understand what Malik Obama was saying in the interview and paraphrased him incorrectly. Malik Obama did not say that his older brother has a Muslim background. The Jerusalem Post has since removed the story from its website, and we regret the error. [Fox News' Special Report, 6/24/08[30]]

Fox News' Special Report Asks Of Obama: "Islam Or Isn't He?" During a June 4, 2009, segment, Fox News' Special Report aired a quote by Obama national security official Denis McDonough, in which he talked about how Obama "experienced Islam on three continents" and grew up in Indonesia with a Muslim father, and asked: "Islam or Isn't He?" [Fox News' Special Report, 6/4/09[31]]

On The O'Reilly Factor and Glenn Beck, Coulter Claimed Obama "Attended Madrassas." On the December 28, 2009, edition of The O'Reilly Factor and the December 30, 2009, edition of Glenn Beck, conservative columnist Ann Coulter said Obama attended madrassas as a child. [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 12/28/09[32]] [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 12/30/09[32]]

Hayes: Given Obama's "Outreach To What He Calls The Muslim World," It's Hard To "Unwind" Idea Obama Is A Muslim. From the August 20, 2010, edition of Fox News' Special Report:

CHRIS WALLACE (guest host): Meanwhile, the White House on Martha's Vineyard, Steve, dealing today with the fallout from these new polls indicating that a growing number of people think Obama is a Muslim, not a Christian. How do you think they're handling damage control on that issue, which is invented, and the issue of their own making, which is the president's comments on the mosque?

STEVE HAYES: Well, I think they're struggling to find the right line. They want to be sensitive, and the president spent a lot of time with outreach to what he calls the Muslim world. I think given the fact that they've done that for 18 months, it's hard to sort of unwind it now. But I agree with what Charles said last night. We're likely to see him going to church a lot more. [Fox News' Special Report, 8/20/10[33]]

Beck: Obama's Comments On His Christian Faith Are "Not Something That Most Christians Recognize." From the August 29, 2010, edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday:

BECK: What does the president believe? Four different speeches since he's been president, he has told -- and mainly students -- that your salvation is directly tied to the collective salvation. That -- that's not something that most Christians recognize.

I don't -- I'm not demonizing it. I disagree with it. The pope has said -- he's actually demonized it. People aren't recognizing his version of Christianity, just like -- and 48 percent of the African American community doesn't recognize it either, by the way. They didn't recognize it with Jeremiah Wright. They don't recognize it now. [Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday, 8/29/10[34]]

Hannity Criticizes Obama For Receiving "Daily Devotionals ... From One Faith After Another." Responding to Obama's statement that he receives a daily devotional on his BlackBerry containing "a passage, Scripture, in some cases quotes from other faiths to reflect on," Hannity guest, author Richard Miniter, said, "Sean, the big question is, what are the other faiths? Is he talking about Islam? ... Every president has had a personal relationship with God. And for him to say, well, some days it's Buddha, some days it's Jesus, it's kind of strange." After Kristen Powers noted that President Bush didn't go to church, Hannity stated, "I know for a fact that he had Bible study often. And the thing -- he wasn't receiving, you know, devotional, daily devotionals, as you point out, from one faith after another." [Fox News' Hannity, 2/2/10[35]]

Gretchen Carlson: "Some" Say Obama Discussing God "Was Disingenuous Coming From A President Who Does Not Go To Church On A Regular Basis." After airing a video clip of Obama invoking God during his speech on the BP oil spill, host Gretchen Carlson asked, "Did you find it at all disingenuous because some people are analyzing that this morning and saying it was disingenuous coming from a president who does not go to church on a regular basis." [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 6/16/10[36]]

Fox News Contributor Jonathan Morris: Obama's Interpretation Of His Faith Is "Not How The Average Christian In The United States" Would Put It. On September 29, 2010, Fox News' America's Newsroom hosted Father Jonathan Morris -- a Catholic priest and Fox News contributor -- to analyze President Obama's statements about why he became a Christian. Morris stated:

MORRIS: You know, not too bad. Charitably interpreted, pretty good. But it's not how the average Christian in the United States would answer that question. "I'm a Christian by choice." "It was the precepts of Christianity -- of Jesus Christ that attracted me." The precepts. That's not how the average Christian would respond. Christianity for most Christians who have it as a big part of their life, it's a falling in love not with precepts. Who's going to fall in love with the Ten Commandments? It's the falling in love with -- or the getting to know personally -- a person named Jesus of Nazareth.

[...]

MORRIS: The fact that he has not chosen a church after two years in Washington also says something. Does it mean he's a bad Christian? Far be it for me to say that. It says something. [Fox News' America's Newsroom, 9/29/10[37]]

Hemmer Falsely Claimed: "In Modern-Day Politics, [Obama's] The First President That Has Chosen Not To Go To Church Every Week." On the September 29, 2010, edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, co-host Bill Hemmer said, "I think the bigger point is this: Right or wrong, good or bad, in modern-day politics, [Obama's] the first president that has chosen not to go to church every week." Hemmer added: "We have hours of videotape of former President Bush and former president Clinton and Bush 41 going to church on Sundays." [Fox News' America's Newsroom, 9/29/10[37]]

In Fact, Bush And Reagan Reportedly Did Not Attend Church Regularly As President. According to news reports, George W. Bush "only infrequently attended services in Washington, occasionally going to St. John's [Church, near the White House]" and Ronald Reagan reportedly "didn't go to church at all" as president. [Media Matters, 5/7/09[38]]

Hannity: Obama "Pretty Much Left God Out Of The Prayer Proclamation." During the May 7, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, Hannity stated:

HANNITY: So it's National Prayer Day and we know that President Obama is distancing himself from National Prayer Day. He nixed this formal early morning service, didn't attend the large Catholic prayer breakfast and, apparently, pretty much left God out of the prayer proclamation except for one time and it was just a passing mention. I'm thinking, why would - was Reverend Wright not available today? [Fox News' Hannity, 5/7/09[39]]

Obama Referenced God Twice In His Presidential Proclamation. From Obama's presidential proclamation designating May 6, 2009, as National Day of Prayer:

On this day, let us give thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed upon our Nation. Let us rejoice for the blessing of freedom both to believe and to live our beliefs, and for the many other freedoms and opportunities that bring us together as one Nation. Let us ask for wisdom, compassion, and discernment of justice as we address the great challenges of our time.

[...]

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon the citizens of our Nation to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God's continued guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us. [WhiteHouse.gov, 4/30/09[40]]

Special Report On Obama Church Attendance: "Commitment Issues?" Host Bret Baier reported that the Obamas "decided against joining a church in the area because of the security involved in a presidential visit." During the segment, the on-screen text stated, "Commitment Issues." [Fox News' Special Report, 3/30/10[41]]

Beck On Obama's Beliefs: "That's Not The Church That Jesus Taught About." From the August 24, 2010, edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: He said, quote, "So I draw from the Christian faith. On the other hand, I was born in Hawaii where there's obviously a lot of eastern influences. I lived in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world. Between the ages of 6 and 10, my father was from Kenya and though he was probably most accurately labeled an agnostic, his father was Muslim. I probably have to say, intellectually, I have drawn as much from Judaism as any other faith."

Well, OK, and now, we're confused why people are confused what he is? Where did he come from? We have Christian, eastern religion influences, Kenyan, agnosticism, Judaism and Islam. But America is expected to be solidly convinced he's a Christian.

[...]

BECK: So you top everything else off with, 'There are many paths to the same place.' Well, many Christians will say that's not true. That's not the church that Jesus taught about. That is the church that Oprah teaches about. And by the way, why wouldn't it be? Oprah Winfrey attended Reverend Wright's church for years. [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 8/24/10[42]]

Fox Nation Promotes Coulter's Claim That Obama Is An Atheist. On September 1, 2010, the Fox Nation linked to a column by Ann Coulter claiming that Obama is an atheist with the headline, "Obama Is Not A Muslim, But...." [Fox Nation, 9/1/10[43]]

Fox Has Dabbled In Birtherism

Fox Nation Repeatedly Promoted Birther Stories Using Picture Of Obama In Somali Clothes. From the July 14, 2009, edition of the Fox Nation:

Fox Nation Promoted WorldNetDaily Birther Story. On July 16, 2009, Fox Nation linked to a story from WorldNetDaily promoting the cause of a birther's challenge to President Obama with the headline "Soldier Who Challenged Obama's Citizenship Fired From Job." From the Fox Nation:

Hannity: "I Don't Have A Problem With People Asking To See The Birth Certificate." From the January 27 edition of Fox News' Hannity:

JUAN WILLIAMS: Let me just say to you, I think that, you know, when I hear this from Congressman Moran, when I hear that kind of stuff from Sheila Jackson Lee and others, I just think that you are right on the idea that it is kind of vitriolic, hateful talk, calling people Nazis. It doesn't help. And it is really out of keeping with the tone at the moment. But I'd also challenge you and say, what about the people who asked if Obama was born in this country? The birthers. What about the people who want to say that he is -- draw him as a clown and all that. I find that unattractive.

HANNITY: I've never made that question. But I don't have a problem with people asking to see the birth certificate. They wanted to see it, I don't have a problem. I think if it was Chris Matthews, Mr. thrill up his leg himself, that suggested -- that said, well, the president and the Governor of Hawaii, ought to release this thing. I've got the tape of that. [Fox News' Hannity, 1/27/11[47]]

HANNITY: Now we told you yesterday about an Army reserve soldier who challenged his deployment orders on the grounds that President Obama has not proven that he is a U.S. citizen.

Now that soldier, Major Stefan Frederick Cook, who was supposed to deploy to Afghanistan in the coming days, has now had his orders revoked. According to his lawyer, quote, "They just said order revoked. No explanation. No reasons. Just revoked."

Now, Major Cook and his lawyer expressed joy at this outcome. And they took it as an admission on the part of the military that the president is not in fact a legitimate citizen by birth.

And actress, fitness guru and political activist Jane Fonda recently showed up in Hollywood in an interesting getup. Now she was sporting a t- shirt with her mug shot on it. [Fox News' Hannity, 7/15/09[48]]

Fox & Friends Hosts Birther Conspiracist. On November 29, 2010, Fox & Friends hosted former Republican Congressman and current Newsmax contributor John LeBoutillier to promote his self-published "fiction" story about CIA operatives traveling the world discovering secrets about Obama. During the interview, LeBoutillier pushed the claim that Obama was born in Kenya, saying, "Obama's grandmother, living in Kenya, we have her in the book, it's fiction, but in reality she has claimed consistently that he was born in Mombasa, Kenya. She said this, adamantly, on the record. So we took that and used it in the book in a very funny way." [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 11/29/10[49]]

Lars Larson Suggests On Fox That Obama Lacks "Proper Documentation." Appearing on Fox News' America Live, Lars Larson stated: "I'm really sorry that illegal aliens don't trust the authorities because they know they're in somebody else's country illegally and lastly God bless you, I know you have a soft spot for people who get jobs without the proper documentation, not that I'd be referring to anybody in particular of course, like our president, but the fact is is that if you're in the country illegally, you need to go." [Fox News' America Live, 2/1/11[50]]

FoxNews.com Op-Ed: "Obama's To Blame For The Birther Movement." In a FoxNews.com opinion piece titled, "Obama's To Blame For The Birther Movement," Tommy De Seno wrote that "since no one has shown any proof [Obama] was born in Kenya or elsewhere, it's OK to conclude he was born in Hawaii" but the "Birther movement is Obama's fault for not releasing the records. I hope the Birthers continue to bite his ankles until he releases the records. He deserves nothing less." [FoxNews.com, 7/29/09[51]]

Fox Has Claimed Obama Is Biased By Racial Animosity, African Heritage

Beck Says Obama's Agenda Is Driven By "Reparations" And The Desire To "Settle Old Racial Scores." On the July 23, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, Beck said: "Everything that is getting pushed through Congress, including this health care bill, are transforming America, and they are all driven by President Obama's thinking on one idea: reparations." Beck went on to state: "These massive programs are Obama-brand reparations -- or in presidential speak -- leveling out the playing field." Beck also said Obama's goal is "creating a new America, a new model, a model that will settle old racial scores through new social justice." [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 7/23/09[52]]

Beck: Obama Is A "Racist" With A "Deep-Seated Hatred For White People Or The White Culture." From the July 28, 2009, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

BECK: This president, I think, has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture. I don't know what it is, but you can't sit in a pew with Jeremiah Wright for twenty years and not hear some of that stuff, and not have it wash over.

[...]

BECK: I'm not saying that he doesn't like white people, I'm saying he has a problem. He has a -- this guy is, I believe, a racist. Look at the things that he has been surrounded by. [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 7/28/09[53]]

Hannity Defends Beck's Claim that Obama is "Racist." After guest Penny Lee noted on the March 9, 2010, edition of Hannity that Glenn Beck called Obama racist, Hannity stated: "But wait a minute. Wait, hang on a second. When the president hangs out with Jeremiah Wright for 20 years, I'm -- can one conclude that there are issues with the president, black liberation theology?" [Fox News' Hannity,3/9/10[54]]

Murdoch On Beck's Claim That Obama Is "Racist": "[H]e Was Right." In a November 6, 2009, interview with Sky News Australia political editor David Speers, Murdoch said of Beck's allegation, "[Obama] did make a very racist comment, about, you know, blacks and whites and so on, and which he said in his campaign he would be completely above. And, you know, that was something which perhaps shouldn't have been said about the president, but if you actually assess what he was talking about, he was right." News Corp. spokesman Gary Ginsberg subsequently stated that Murdoch "does not at all, for a minute, think the president is a racist." [Media Matters, 3/19/10[54]]

Beck Says He Was Judging Obama's "Actions" That "Are Really Based In Liberation Theology" When He Said Obama Is A "Racist." From the August 30, 2010, edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: You said something on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace about you calling Obama a racist. It was interesting. Roll the tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: First of all, it shouldn't have been said. It was poorly said. It was -- I have a big fat mouth sometimes and I say things. And that's just not the way people should behave. And it was not accurate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Well, I'm glad you said that because that's what they're calling you, a racist.

BECK: Right.

O'REILLY: You know, they're calling you this, that, and the other thing.

BECK: I want you to understand that the rest of that sentence is it's a shallow understanding of President Obama. President Obama's actions, and that's what I was judging him on, his actions, his actions are really based in liberation theology. [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 8/30/10[55]]

Gingrich Defends "Kenyan, Anti-Colonial" Comment: "His Father Was From Kenya." In a September 2010 interview with National Review Online, Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich asked: "What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior, can you begin to piece together [his actions]?" He added: "That is the most accurate, predictive model for his behavior." [NRO, 9/11/10[56]]

Gingrich rehashed the theory on Fox, claiming Obama "has picked up on this -- whether you want to say it's Indonesian and Kenyan or Franz Fanon from Algeria -- I mean, there is a broad anti-colonial model intellectually." From the September 17, 2010, edition of Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren:

GINGRICH: He writes a book "Dreams From My Father." OK. So why can't we ask the question, what were his dreams from his father? Who was his father? His father was from Kenya. I cited Kenya for a practical reason. It's a fact. His father was from Kenya.

[...]

GINGRICH: Now, I think you can say three things about who -- about Barack Obama's worldview. Part of him is a Saul Alinsky community radical organizer, and you can read, you know, Saul Alinsky's books and know what that means. Part of him is sort of the classic European socialist transmuted by Columbia and Harvard, and that explains a lot of the big government, big control, big bureaucracy stuff.

VAN SUSTEREN: How everybody he hires in his administration are Harvard and Yale and University of Chicago.

GINGRICH: Right. And they all have the same worldview, which is essentially European socialism. And then part of him, I think, has picked up on this -- whether you want to say it's Indonesian and Kenyan or Franz Fanon from Algeria -- I mean, there is a broad anti-colonial model intellectually. [Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, 9/17/10[57]]

Beck: Obama Satisfying His "Desire For Racial Justice" Though "Intimidation, Vilification, Bullying." From the July 27, 2009, edition of Glenn Beck:

BECK: We have demonstrated President Obama's desire for racial justice, but how is he setting out to achieve it? Exactly the way a community organizer would: through intimidation, vilification, bullying, a system, an underground shell game. Look how he has handled different things. [Henry Louis] Gates -- he calls the cops stupid and racist before he admits, he says, "I don't know all of the facts." But he jumps to the conclusion that the cops are racist. [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 7/27/09[58]]

Beck Claimed Obama Resents The British Because They Tortured His Kenyan Grandfather. From the June 29, 2010, edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: Do you remember when we gave the big statue back, the bust of Churchill? Right after Obama got. In it didn't make sense to me, hasn't made sense to me. Any clues, any clues why this gift from the English after 9/11 was boxed up and sent back? I haven't figured out a reason. Why does Obama harbor animosity towards the British? I don't know. Why would he return the bust? A listener called me this morning. Said he had found information about Barack Obama's grandfather in an old Irish newspaper but couldn't verify it. I said okay, what is it? We looked into it. The information, took us about 20 minutes to find. It was out there, but until today I never heard about this information, and I'm kind of in the Barack Obama business, you know what I mean? I don't think you have. Maybe you have. What puts you in a position to act unexplainably in weird ways toward our ally? Something must have happened in your life and maybe this is a part of it.

The story is told by Barack Obama's step-grandmother. This is the woman he calls Granny Sarah. In 1949 Barack Obama's grandfather, Hussein Obama, was involved in Kenya's independence from Great Britain. Well, the grandfather, we think, was working for the movement to overthrow the British and he was arrested by British authorities. Now according to her, Granny Sarah, grandpa was tortured for information on the insurgency. She said, and I quote, "The African warders were instructed by the white soldiers to whip him every morning and evening until he confessed."

[...]

Now, I don't know if this plays a role in Barack Obama's life. I've been thinking about it today and I want you to think about it this way. If this happened to your grandfather, if, let's say, the Canadians took your grandfather -- and everybody thought the Canadians were good -- took your grandfather, tortured him, did these things to your grandfather. Then your father leaves you at a young age to go fight that kind of power in Canada. Your mother then leaves you with your grandparents who are also fighting that kind of power inside your own country. She leaves you as well.

It's kind of almost a familial deal. If I were the president of the United States and that happened in my family, my grandfather had been tortured by Canada, you're damn right I wouldn't have a statue of the prime minister of Canada in my office and I would say take it back.

I may not expose myself as being anti-Canadian, because I don't want them to see me coming. That's the way I would deal with it if it happened to me. I don't know. I have no idea what is happening with Barack Obama, but, boy, that sure makes sense now with the statue. [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 6/29/10[59]]

BRENT BOZELL: Just think about this for a second, Sean. Obama -- President Obama did a book and he talked about doing cocaine in his book. Can you imagine in a million years NPR doing a ha-ha skit about Obama doing cocaine in the White House?

HANNITY: Wait a minute. I've played this. White man's greed in world in need comment that he has in his audio. I've played that tape. [Fox News' Hannity, 11/19/10[60]]

Those Words Are Wright's, Not Obama's. In fact, that sound bite came from the audiobook version of Obama's memoir, in a passage in Which Obama quotes from a sermon by Jeremiah Wright. [Media Matters, 8/21/08[61]]

Coulter Accuses Obama Of "Wanting To Be The Only Black Democrat In Elected Office." From the October 28, 2010, edition of Fox News' Hannity:

ANN COULTER: We have the majority of Hispanics running this year. They want Hispanics and blacks to vote for them. They don't want blacks or Hispanics to be actually in positions of power, and this is part of the Obama trend of wanting to be the only black Democrat in elected office. [Fox News' Hannity, 10/28/10[62]]

Varney Claims Obama Returned Bust Of Churchill Because His Father "Was A Native Kenyan." Purporting to provide evidence that Obama "doesn't like the British," Fox business analyst Stuart Varney said the "first act of President Obama when he walks into the White House, send back to Britain a bust of Winston Churchill." Varney claimed Obama sent the bust back "because his father - President Obama's father disliked the colonial administration in his native Kenya." [Fox News' America's Newsroom, 2/7/11[63]]

Beck: "This Guy Has Real Issues With Race." During the July 27, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, Beck discussed Obama's invitation to host Henry Gates and Officer James Crowley for a beer and stated:

BECK: Keith, am I jumping the gun here? I just see this ACORN thing and also the thing at the White House as a sign. This guy has real issues with race, real issues.

DR. KEITH ABLOW, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Unfortunately -- and I really mean it, Glenn -- unfortunately, I have to agree with you. I don't think you're jumping the gun. Americans had as their fondest hope and prayer, I think, that they were electing a colorblind president who could embrace everyone equally. I think that was the hope. I think it was the hope more than some of his policies that here was a man who could treat everyone equally.

Instead, I think we get a transparent president in this case whose feelings about white America are coming forward again. And I don't know, listen, as a psychiatrist, I'm trained to look at facts and say what fits and what doesn't, what's a theory that can hold water as to someone's personality and nature.

You had someone who sat in a church with a pastor who called white people the devil, whose wife has not been proud of this country in her adult life until quite recently, who calls a Cambridge police sergeant stupid without knowing the facts, and whose friends are community organizers with questionable past. And so, you add all that up, and say look. There more than an apology necessary here. This is a question of introspection. The president needs to look at himself and say Do I have prejudice that I wasn't even aware of perhaps, to white people? [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 7/27/09[64]]

Laura Ingraham: Obama Administration "Has Set Back Race Relations In This Country, Perhaps A Generation." From the July 22, 2010, edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

INGRAHAM: This president was ushered into office with this great media concoction, unjustified, that he was going to be some racial healer, okay? That was created in the media. That was a fiction created by the media. Victor Davis Hanson writes a brilliant piece about this today. And he's absolutely dead on.

I believe much of what's been done in this administration, unfortunately, has set back race relations in this country, perhaps a generation. I predicted that would happen a year ago on my radio show. And I stand by that today. [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 7/22/10[65]]

Fox Has Attacked Obama's Family

O'Reilly: Michelle Obama "Looks Like An Angry Woman." During the September 16, 2008, edition of his Fox News show, O'Reilly stated of Michelle Obama: "Now, I have a lot of people who call me on the radio and say she looks angry. And I have to say there's some validity to that. She looks like an angry woman." [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 9/16/08[66]]

Hannity: Michelle Obama Sounds "So Bitter And Angry." On the May 11, 2008, edition of Fox News' Hannity's America, Hannity said: "This week, Michelle Obama still sounds angry. ... As Michelle Obama stumps for her husband to be the next president of the United States, it seems she doesn't have many positive things to say about America. In fact, her speeches always seem to have a negative tone to them. It seems her view of the United States is one of despair and hopelessness." Hannity later added: "This raises the question, why does Michelle Obama sound so bitter and angry as she campaigns for the White House?" [Fox News' Hannity's America, 5/11/08, accessed via Nexis]

WILLIAMS: Let me just tell you this. If you think about liabilities for President Obama that are close to him, Joe Biden is up there. But Michelle Obama is right there. Michelle Obama, you know, she's got this Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going. If she starts talking, as Mary Katharine is suggesting -- her instinct is to start with this blame America, you know, I'm the victim. If that stuff starts to come out, people will go bananas and she'll go from being the new Jackie O. to being something of an albatross. [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 1/26/09[67]]

Williams: Michelle Obama "Sometimes Uses" A "Kind Of Militant Anger." On the August 25, 2008, edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, Juan Williams said of Michelle Obama's upcoming speech at the Democratic National Convention: "Well, she's got to be herself, but I do not think she can go for it all out in terms of this kind of militant anger that she sometimes uses, you know. She can be, it seems, rather cynical or dismissive of people," adding, "I don't think she wants to get anywhere near the race issue, anywhere near the militance issue." [Fox News' America's Newsroom, 8/25/08[68]]

Hannity: "Do The Obama's Have A Race Problem Of Their Own?" On the March 2, 2008, edition of Fox News' Hannity's America, Hannity asserted, "As more is learned about Barack Obama's positions, his past, and his affiliations, it seems that the 'change' candidate has all the same problems with race as those before him." Hannity later added of Michelle and Barack Obama: "It's only fair to ask: Do the Obamas have a race problem of their own?" [Fox News' Hannity's America, 3/2/08[69]]

Beck: "Both Parents Leave A Boy For Marxism?" From the March 17, 2010, edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: Here's a sad thing that I don't think anybody will really ever say about Barack Obama, because it sounds mean, and I don't mean it to be mean.

This is truly a sad, tragic story. But the only way to understand -- first of all, all the people around him -- and then his thinking -- I don't think he's an evil man. I don't think he's trying to do evil things intentionally.

He really does believe Marxism is the way, is the answer, it is the future. He believes that. From the moment he was born, he had contact with nothing but socialist, Marxist, communist radicals. His father abandoned him. Why? So he could go off to a Marxist school in New York. Then his father left the country to go try it out.

How tragic. What kind of scar does that leave on a boy?

Then his mother. I mean, this is -- you tell me. What scar is left when the mom leaves a son who's been abandoned by his father for Marxism -- leaves the son with his grandparents so she can pursue critical theory, which is Marxist? Both parents leave a boy for Marxism?

And then he goes to his parents -- or his grandparents. His grandparents attended the little red church, which was known for its communist teachings. Grandpa introduced him to Frank Marshall Davis. Frank Marshall Davis is now his teenage mentor. Frank Marshall Davis has an FBI file this big. [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 3/17/10[70]]

Beck Mocked Obama's Aunt's "Limp": "I Took This Cane From Her Earlier. It's Like Little Tiny Tim." During the April 2, 2009, edition of his Fox News show, Beck discussed Obama's aunt's visa status and stated, "Obama's aunt, you know -- and I took this cane from her earlier. I -- it's like little Tiny Tim. Oh, I'd like more, please, please. God bless us, everyone. She has a limp, didn't you know that? She should be able to stay." [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 4/2/09[71]]

Beck: I Am "Not Attacking" Obama's Parents But They "Placed Radical Politics Over Everything Else" Including Obama. From the April 6, 2010, edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: Let's look at the contractor we've hired. Let's look at his foundation, first. What is he building on? What foundation does he have?

I want to start with his parents. Now, as Barack Obama[72]would say, let me be clear. I want you to know that I am in no means attacking his family. And, in fact, I think after the first five minutes of the show tonight, you're actually going to feel sorry for the little boy, Barry Obama. The boy, the little one. This little boy. He's so cute.

You're not going to feel sorry for the man, but the tragedy of this kid's childhood is staggering. His parents seemingly from what you piece together, his parents seemingly placed radical politics over everything else, including their little boy. [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 4/6/10[73]]

Beck Points To Obama's Parents, Grandparents To Say Obama "Didn't Have A Chance To Actually Think Anything But Radical Thoughts." On the same edition of his Fox News show, Beck pointed to pictures of Obama's family and said: ""This kid didn't have a chance to be rooted in the Founding Fathers. This guy doesn't have a chance to actually think anything but radical thoughts. Based on everybody in his life so far, who's defending capitalism?" [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 4/6/10[74]]

Fox Turns Any Story Into An Attack On Obama

Fox Attacked Obama For Planning Back-To-School Speech. In the days leading up to Obama's 2009 back-to-school speech -- which the Education Secretary said would address "the importance of education" and "persisting and succeeding in school" -- Fox News claimed Obama was seeking to "indoctrinate" children to carry out his agenda. Hannity said "It seems very close to indoctrination"; Monica Crowley said "This is what Chairman Mao did," and Beck called the speech "indoctrination." [Media Matters, 9/3/09[75]]

After The Speech Contained No "Indoctrination," Fox Claimed Obama Had Changed It. After the speech, in which Obama pushed no ideological agenda, Fox News correspondent Wendell Goler said, "[S]ome skeptics say the president might have included politics in the speech if it hadn't been for them waving the red flag last week." Karl Rove also stated, "I would suspect, a dime to a dollar bet you, that they altered that speech." The White House told CNN that the speech was not changed. [Media Matters, 9/9/09[76]]

Beck Attacked Obama Basketball Game For Wounded Soldiers As "Out Of Touch." Beck said on the August 9, 2010, edition of his Fox show that Obama's basketball game with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade shows that he is "out of touch with the average American." However, Obama invited the NBA stars to play at the White House for "an audience of wounded veterans and participants in a White House mentoring program." [Media Matters, 8/9/10[77]]

Beck Mocked Obama Because Fly Landed On His Face. From the June 23, 2010, edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: I do have to mention this before we'd start -- this picture from yesterday. The president has a problem with flies landing on him. Then we had the bees that were swarming the White House.

Then I don't know if you saw this, do we have the rodents? Here's the president giving a speech and the little rat running around -- watch this. OK. I don't know if he's Dr. Dolittle or what exactly.

Do you remember this from the live interview? I've never seen that before. Hello. Yes. OK.

Now, flies landing on his mouth as he's speaking yesterday. I'm not sure what to make of it. Might that there's be a lot of B.S. and flies are -- I -- but the president's ability to attract rodents and insects is kind of creepy. [Fox News' Glenn Beck, 6/23/10[78]]

Fox Criticized Obama For Clothing He Wore To Visit Gulf. From the June 3, 2010, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

GRETCHEN CARLSON (co-host): President Obama is being criticized for what he had on. When he was standing at the shoreline there, he had on fancy pants and a fancy shirt. Look, now what other critics are saying, is that 80 percent of public perception is image. Not what you say. And he should have had on, like what Thad Allen has on next to him, something that looked like he was a little bit more at the scene. [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 6/3/10[79]]

Fox Criticized Obama For Clothing He Wore For Pre-Super Bowl Interview. In contrast with the attack on Obama for being overdressed when visiting the Gulf, the Fox Nation questioned Obama for not wearing a tie during his pre-Super Bowl interview with O'Reilly.

Fox Attacked Obama For Commemorating 9-11 At The Pentagon. Fox News attacked President Obama's decision to attend a 9-11 memorial at the Pentagon rather than the World Trade Center site. However, former President George W. Bush routinely did not visit Ground Zero on past anniversaries of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and Vice President Joe Biden attended a memorial at the World Trade Center site, like Vice President Dick Cheney did on the second anniversary. [Media Matters, 9/8/10[81]]

Fox Edited Audience Response Out Of Obama's State Of The Union Address. On January 26, Fox & Friends, aired clips of the jokes Obama included in his 2011 State of the Union Address, but replaced the audience laughter and applause with cricket sound effects. [Fox News' Fox & Friends, 1/26/11[82]]

Fox Accused Obama Of Delaying Troop Deployment To Win Nobel Peace Prize. Fox News personalities reacted to President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize by accusing Obama of -- in the words of Fox News contributor Dick Morris -- "delaying the decision to commit troops to Afghanistan" in order to "win this prize." Responding to initial reports that Obama was awarded the peace prize, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade said he was "wondering" whether the Nobel charter "has anything to do with the delay of the deployment of 40,000 troops in Afghanistan," adding, "If you add forces to a war, you can't win." [Media Matters, 10/13/09[83]]

Fox Attacked Obama's Effort To Promote U.S. Olympic Bid. Fox News hosts, contributors and guests used President Obama's promotion of the United States bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago as an excuse to attack him. For instance, Sean Hannity said that "it sounds" like Obama "is more concerned about bringing the Olympics to Chicago than winning the war in Afghanistan," Brent Bozell claimed on Fox & Friends that Obama's trip to Copenhagen to promote the Chicago bid "is evidence that this man just cannot stay away from the klieg lights," and Bret Baier invoked the "carbon footprint" of Obama's trip to Copenhagen. [Media Matters, 9/29/09[84]]

Hannity Criticized Obama For Ordering "Fancy" Burger With Dijon Mustard. On his Fox News show, Hannity stated, "As you all know President Obama is a real man of the people. And yesterday he dropped by a popular Virginia restaurant to grab a burger with his pal Joe. Now the Gateway Pundit blog pointed out that plain old ketchup, well it didn't quite cut it for the president." After noting that Obama ordered "a spicy mustard or something like that, or a Dijon mustard," Hannity said, "I hope you enjoyed that fancy burger, Mr. President." [Fox News' Hannity, 5/6/09[85]]

Fox Falsely Claimed Obama Was "Checking Out" A 17-Year-Old Girl. Even after Fox News' Greta Van Susteren debunked the claim that Obama was "checking out" a young woman, Fox & Friends and Fox Nation continued to rely on a misleading photograph to insinuate that Obama had done so. [Media Matters, 7/10/09[86]]

Hannity Advanced Discredited Claim That Bill Ayers Helped Write Obama's Book. Sean Hannity and author Christopher Andersen agreed that "Bill Ayers helped [President Obama] with his book" Dreams From My Father and that "literary devices and themes [in the book] bear a jarring similarity to Ayers' own writings." However, an Oxford professor who conducted a computerized analysis of Obama's book and Ayers' memoir Fugitive Days reportedly found that it was "very implausible" that Ayers helped Obama write his autobiography. [Media Matters, 9/23/09[87]]

Ingraham Attacked Obama For Calling For 9-11 Day Of Service. On Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Laura Ingraham criticized President Obama's decision to remember 9-11 as a national day of service. In fact, 9-11 is a national day of service by statute -- which a majority of Republican senators voted for -- and former President Bush routinely called on Americans to volunteer in memory of the day. [Media Matters, 8/27/09[88]]

Fox Attacked Obama For Not Using Word "Terrorism" In Speech. On June 4, 2009, a couple of hours after President Obama delivered his much-anticipated speech in Cairo regarding America's relationship with the Muslim world, Fox News Washington managing editor Bill Sammon sent an email to Fox staff pointing out that Obama did not use "the words 'terror,' 'terrorist' or 'terrorism.' " Fox News relentlessly attacked Obama on that point over the next 24 hours despite the fact that Obama specifically denounced Al Qaeda and other "violent extremists." [Media Matters, 2/8/11[89]]